Carrier stock as exemplified in Weaver et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,117 and Benno et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,949 is employed commonly for machine application, typically with machines described in Braun U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,682 or other similar jaw and drum machines, to substantially identical cans, such as beverage cans utilized commonly to contain beer and soft drinks. Such cans have annular chimes at their upper ends, cylindrical side walls, and frusto-conical walls between the chimes and the side walls. Such stock is formed, as by die-cutting, from a single sheet of resilient polymeric material, such as low density polyethylene.
Typically, such stock has integrally joined band segments including outer band segments and inner band segments and defining can-receiving apertures in longitudinal rows and transverse ranks, along with separating webs extending generally transversely when the carrier stock is in a flat, unstressed condition. The separating webs separate the can-receiving apertures in each longitudinal row. When such stock is applied effectively, the band segments defining the can-receiving apertures grip the frusto-conical walls of the cans tightly and engage the lower edges of the chimes.
Such stock also may have finger-gripping straps arranged in pairs. As known heretofore, the finger-gripping straps have generally straight edges and extend generally transversely between two of the inner band segments when the carrier stock is in a flat, unstressed condition. It is intended for a user to grip one pair of the finger-gripping straps with the thumb and forefinger of one hand for lifting a package comprising a rectangular array of such cans and a carrier severed from such stock and applied to the cans in the rectangular array.
Such finger-gripping straps may also function to transfer laterally directed stretching forces from outer bands to inner bands, as suggested in Weaver et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,117.
Can manufacturers have introduced cans having smaller chime diameters, as compared to the diameters of the side walls, which cans are known as "necked-in" cans. Some newer versions of these necked-in cans further and drastically reduce the ratio of the chime diameter and the side wall diameter.
In a necked-in can of a newer type, the frusto-conical wall between the chime and the side wall defines a conical angle greater than approximately 28.degree., and in some instances as great as approximately 37.degree.. Moreover, some recently introduced, necked-in cans are taller and have a greater capacity, as compared to prior cans of the type noted above.
A package comprising a carrier severed from carrier stock of the type noted above and such necked-in cans, particularly but not exclusively such taller cans of greater capacity, has presented a problem that is addressed by this invention. The ability to reduce thickness of carrier stock to obtain economies could also present a problem.
Specifically, there has been a tendency for the cans to move independently of each other in such a package, whereby it can become difficult to stack the package with like packages on a pallet.